Ryan Bagnal is an avid mixed martial arts fan and friend of several UFC fighters. Stay tuned as he plans to launch his own podcast in the coming weeks.
Transcript
Ryan Bagnal: I’M just getting started on two weeks in so, if anyone’s willing to talk I’m more than happy to go, I appreciate you taking and it’s appreciate it. Yes, I did. I did we we’re at six that have been posted. I did too little earlier today a couple hours ago, so this is number nine huh. It’S it’s fun. I I really enjoy it. I I mean the first two were were shaky. You know I’m just trying to. I write down a few questions and then don’t actually ask them just kind of go with the flow I find is probably the way to do it just trying to get rid of the awkward silences there where no one’s talking and then I’m so I’m still figuring It out, but but I enjoy it, and I mean I I got it started because there’s no I’ve been obsessed with the UFC for about eight years now, and I’ve been doing that MMA matchmaking for a few years, and now that there’s no UFC, I’m like you Know what am I gon na do and I figured I had a few followers and a few UFC fighters followed me people that are also just as a big fan as big of fans as I am so I was like it may as well. Just start something and have conversations with people and see where it goes and no real, like I don’t expect this to take off or anything but figured admit it’s fun and see, see what I can do with it. Sorry I enjoy it. Man love it. I’Ve tried to get something in the swing, so I kind of threw in your ID and my buddy Moe fights in the UFC yeah we’ve been talking about it for a long time doing the podcast and trying to get both of us to cohesively align our schedule To make it work, it’s been pretty brutal, but I like it man, I like the ambition, it’s kind of the perfect time to yeah I mean no one else has anything to do right so uh. I started I reached out to to Mike Rodriguez the light heavyweight. Now he was the first fighter on the. I guess that I spoke to and I essentially said, look man. This is what I’m doing, and he said whenever I’m bored, I have nothing else to do so, so I figured all most UFC fighters kind of in the same boat as long as they’re, not on 249 they’re, pretty yeah. This is nothing. You know they’re not doing a whole lot, how early yeah yeah, who knows who knows at this point? What are you, what are your thoughts on it? Do you uh, do you think the fights happening, obviously we’re hearing too Beebe’s in Russia? It’S tough because I don’t want to talk about like the four times previously, this being the fifth time like it being cursed, everyone knows that right and everyone’s gon na think differently about the UFC. Should they be doing it shouldn’t they be doing it at the end of the day, I’m a fight fan fighters wan na fight. I want to watch fights like I’m not mad about it. You have to do something. I’M actually very intrigued to see your perspective. If you could put a matchmaking card together I’ll kind of give you my rundown, I think it happens. I think that the guy that everyone loves to hate in Kobe Covington, actually like turns into a face, saves the card fights tyron woodley in Ganu in roses. Stroke are the co-main event unless somehow you make maths at all who’s been happening. In addition, that’d be unbelievable, but that’s like asking way too much yeah, I don’t think using math y’all can get done. I feel like there’s. I think I feel like they both want to fight. I just don’t know how you come to two terms so quickly, for you know two guys of that magnitude, but Woodley and Colby I’ve been going back and forth since London, so there’s something there anyway. They both seem to want the fight, so I don’t see why not. I know, DC just posted about potential like his card and it’s which, which I, which I like. Obviously it’s a bit unreasonable, but you suck about Woodley versus burns, which I like that fight more. As a fan, I just think it’s cells, as well as Covington, Woodley and burns, has obviously been training. What he’s been training they’ve both been prepping for fights, so I think if that makes sense more sense, I guess than the Colby fight. I just don’t think Colby’s been as ready, I guess as burns, but that being said itself yeah yeah and do you? What do you think about gay chili? Would you if you were Ferguson, I mean he’s, got everything to lose if he accepts a fight with gay G, but do you think that that’s something that could happen there, a gage he steps in fights forgets twice Ferguson. I say why not I mean if they’re both gon na fight, like the nice part, is they have khabib and yogi. They have the same manager, so it makes it a lot easier from a negotiating standpoint. So I think the cards are really in the hand of tell me like: do you take the fight cuz, you got a lot to lose and we all know that gage is gon na, go either out as a hero or down on the shield. So I mean ultimately like you’re asking for a fight the minute you sign that contract. I actually think that’s more of an entertaining fight than Kebede Tony, oh yeah. It’S way more entertaining. Obviously it doesn’t attract as many viewers and there’s not as much like history. In terms of like four or five, it’s been about five times so there’s not as much history there, but I think that fight is way more exciting, given both of their styles yeah, and we mentioned you mentioned, you know, people disagreeing you’re agreeing with what UFC has Been doing obviously pfl just announced a couple hours ago that they’re just gon na wait and see what happens Bellator just canceled three cards. Do you think that I mean obviously from a fan perspective? We obviously both want it to happen, but if you were to think about it from a fighter perspective, do you think it’s a good idea, or do you think you know what it’s probably better if they hold it? It’S tough to say, because I haven’t done enough. Research since the initial bellator card that got canceled, so I do know that on that original bellator card, all of those fighters got paid. I don’t know if the fighter since they’ve gotten paid. So if you were to take the element of getting paid out of the equation, I still think you would have fighters who want to fight. I don’t think that it necessarily comes down to a paycheck granted some of these hi bigger profile, name fighters that have the money like why rush into the cage, if you don’t have to give in the circumstances, but for the guys that are trying to prove themselves That are hungry that want to climb the ladder that maybe have made a couple bonuses, but want to take that next step. I say you go for it, man like no one’s, forcing them to be there right, but I would also say, if you’re on a card that it’s been scheduled, that has been postponed or canceled, I feel like those guys deserve to get paid in the UFC eat, Makes a lot of money granted? I don’t work in their office right, but I feel like they got enough money to pay those guys at least their show money yeah. So the thing about Bellator that was interesting is the second and third card that got canceled. I believe that there was only two or three fights on each one that had officially been announced, so it’s not like they’re, paying out a full full fight card, yeah so like, for example, like UFC 249. Obviously it was full and all the ones after that are full. Like they’re, you know. So if they push those, you know – and it’s kind of hard to to tell it could be like you know, you’re not getting paid, it’s not your fault but you’re not getting paid and, like you said even guys, I mean come even Ferguson. Both are probably well off, but you know the mid-tier guys or the guys on the prelims. It’S not fair to them if they don’t get paid, because a lot of them rely on that paycheck just to get by okay, I think that’s been swirling on Twitter. A little bit like he spoke to get more burns right like chiesa versus Gilbert burns, two guys that are right there on the cops. Both those got. A fight they’ll really need the money I mean, I’m sure they’ll like it, but like those guys will fight because the minute that things resumed to normal activity now they’re knocking on that door, they’re, not one two fights away. That’S what yeah yeah yeah burns has been calling for. Everybody called out and gone ooh. It doesn’t matter to him what Wake burns just wants to go. I was talking to you tiger tour he’s a Bellator. Middleweight he’s form one, and I asked him the same sort of question like. Why would you take it and he’s like? Well, I haven’t been training. I haven’t been doing all that, but I’m a lion so yeah I will simply just like you know, he’s always he’s like I’m always down to go, doesn’t matter where it doesn’t matter when doesn’t matter who you give me a call and I’ll and I’ll do it. So a lot of guys do have that mentality, and it’s not always about the paycheck. So I I’m under the plague. I’Ve been seeing like guys like sterling I’ll Jemaine Sterling’s like I don’t want to be anywhere near ring for another while and then there’s guys like burns, you don’t doesn’t really matter, so I just think it’s really just dependent on the athlete like. I think if they want to go, why not? And if I just don’t think the UFC should a force, anybody and if they’re booked and they don’t want to fight, then they should get paid. It’S not. You know it’s things that happen it’s out of their control, but you know I don’t think it’s fair that people don’t get paid if they’re scheduled to fight in the contracts been signed. Some percent here’s an interesting question for you that gets kind of thrown around. So do you know the hydration rules with like one Fc, oh yeah, like the yeah, because they’re all fighting up like ten pounds, I can’t cut weight or whatever yeah you’ll get dehydrated, your body more than 30 % remaining. I think that this would actually be a really good time, because UFC is aggressively moving towards moving forward through the pandemic, which is kind of against the grain, with what everyone else is doing every other sports organization in the world right. But you could also implement something really positive and saying: hey now we’re going to do these hydration rules to eliminate these huge cuts. It also makes fighters way more available on short notice because they don’t have to cut as much weight. So it’s healthier for the fighter. You’Re getting people to fight in a natural weight class, so you’re selling it as a positive, well you’re kind of pushing against the norm to keep going. That’S my opinion yeah. I think yeah you’re right I mean it. I mean everything. All other organizations are bashing. The UFC, but if they were to like balance it out and say like we’re, also doing this thing – that’s nice, that’s great! It kind of takes takes things away from the negative that I don’t think it’s a negative. I think, as long as the fight – it’s not like you’re, not forcing fighters to go to work, so I don’t think it’s a negative, but I get that stance but it does, like you said, take take eyes off that I hadn’t even thought about that. But that’s a very good point, yeah another thing that was in the news, John Jones, you knew that was coming yesterday. Is it felt like the perfect day like FDF, I John Jones, it’s relevant. I was like oh, my gosh yesterday was crazy. The amount of things that came out with khabib stuck in Russia, Jon Jones Bellator announced in the can, so it was just so much what’s going on yesterday, but I mean it’s still relevant, so your thoughts man, I feel bad for him right like I, don’t I’ve. Never personally met John, I don’t know him. I got ta know his family his circle, so I’m not gon na make any judgments right. So this is an uneducated fans perspective. I personally will call John Jones to the goat right when it comes to in cage activity. He’S to go in my opinion, I think it’s one thing to make these mistakes in your early 20s right. You’Ve come into a lot of money. Your brothers play in massive organizations like it’s easy to slip up young age. The fact that you’re still doing this at 32 years old and it’s yeah and white now, like yeah part of me, feels bad because it’s like we’re all dealing with the current virus. Right, like people are quarantine, but people are doing very unnatural things in their habitat to kind of exist within society. So I come. I can understand how that makes you stir-crazy. It may draw some erratic behaviors that you’ve kind of like muddled, but the thing is these are the demons that he still hasn’t overcome in my opinion, because they wouldn’t arise in times of chaos if you had overcome them, so I don’t know what needs to change. The UFC is not getting rid of them. Everyone wants to watch him fight, like you hate to say it, but the next time they put a John Jones right on well I’ll sit here. If it goes through, a judges scorecard will debate on how he scored the card at the end of the day. John still wins like he will forever be that guy, but he can’t like there’s a 34:30 coming with his name on it in Ariel hewan. He said this one time and, like I couldn’t agree more like there’s a 34:30 John Jones, that’s gon na be made one day yeah I had to. I compared him to Tiger Woods in the sense that I mean obviously Tiger Woods had one or two incidences and then since then, you haven’t seen him in the news. He’S also older and he’s more mature than than John at this point. But you know it doesn’t tarnish his golfing career right, like he’s still the greatest golfer of all time note he didn’t take steroids or anything like that. But does this tarnish him as being the goat? I did I say no just because you know I think he’s he got caught in what two fights for for doping and one of them. I think it was cocaine, so I I don’t. I personally don’t think it pains him, and then you know it’s not a great fighter or not to go simply because of that. I don’t think it makes him a worse fighter. I still think he’s personally the goat. I still think Tiger Woods is a greatest golfer of all time, but there’s always gon na be people who are gon na bring that up. Do you think that you know because of that he’s below DC or he’s below Demetrius, Johnson or GSP or Anderson? Or do you think you know what his personal life aside? He is the best fighter of all time. So that’s a good question. I think if you asked me the greatest fighter of all time and you gret asked me the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Mixed martial artists, I think that those are two different questions and so like I say that, because I think John Jones is the greatest fighter of all time. When I think about like mixed martial artists, I think there’s fundamental, like life morals that you implement through that journey, like that Stephen Thompson’s, the Demetrius Johnson’s, the GS bees like the the Rory MacDonald. So the guys that don’t even talk [ _ ], because it’s not part of martial arts, I think they get in their own category, get there to like greatest fighter yeah like the hoist Gracie’s. I like those guys who have always been classy and when, like winning her feet, no trash yeah, I get I get what you mean yeah, I think you know he hasn’t John Jones submitted. I mean the way I look at it is he he beat guys who were martial artists, their entire career by fighting, not by you know he he doesn’t have the best technique when it comes to jiu-jitsu. He doesn’t have the best form, but he fights and he wins similar to Nate and Nick Diaz. Those guys are fighters through and through, not necessarily martial artists. So I guess I’ll ask you this: who do you think is the best martial mixed martial artist of all time I have. I have GSP, I’m also Canadian, so there’s a little bit of a pretty much Canadian all the colds, just as bad there as it is here. I I’m gon na say GSP over Demetrius Johnson just for the sole fact that GSP came back and won the 185 title. So the fact that he’s held titles in two divisions compared to one that’s why I’m gon na give him the edge. I would also put Anderson Silva in that conversation, don’t care how he’s lost lately and things like that. I think that Anderson Silva deserves to be in the conversation as well yeah. The only thing I have against DJ and I love DJ was level of competition and I think, no matter what anyone says. That’S always gon na be a thing. You know like Ray Borg as much as like. I have respect Ray Borg. I respect Wilson Hayes. I respect all the guys he is beaten, but you know he isn’t beating the Quinton Rampage Jackson’he’s, the the Matt Hughes is the rich Franklin’s that the other guys had, and I think that’s the only thing that’s holding him back and the only person that really challenged Him at 125 is the guy who currently holds about or who held the belt and Henry cejudo and he lost, I didn’t think he lost, but he lost so it’s yeah. So it’s a, I don’t know. I think that you know you can I just I just don’t think the level of competition was was there for me to say he’s the goat but his records they’re his records phenomenal. He had done things that you know was unheard of the, but I just think the level of competitions. The only thing that’s stopping me from naming him, the goat, but GSP and Anderson and Anderson. I forgive the last few losses, but I because I think it’s age and and the game kind of evolved around him. You know, I don’t think GSP beats Kamara, rosemon III – I don’t know, but I don’t. I don’t see him beating these guys, but that’s a case who knows who knows? I mean he beat his bank, but you know you never know. I have no idea if UFC 249 happens and for some miraculous reason to be even Tony takes place. Who do you have winning it? I’M going to pick a medium, because I’m tired of losing money on khabib and nothing against Tony. I think you’ve kind of alluded to this in a few other interviews like he has been touched, and I think that kabhi causes more danger than Tony. Do I think that there’s a chance Tony cuts him up. Elbows him up. Does some funky stuff off the ground. Yeah, but I think once could be wraps his legs around your legs and your butts on the ground like nobody can do anything. It’S impossible. I’Ve been going back and forth, and I said that on an interview and then add her on one of these podcasts and then afterwards I had thought about. I was like that guilt that choked that poor we hadn’t been. I think that if Tony has that in its it’s different right, so there’s I’ve been going back and forth because yeah Tony got rocked by the NADA by you know: everybody he fights really a pedis, but khabib has also put himself in weird positions against guys, like Poirier, where I think it just comes down to whoever makes the first mistake, I don’t see it going decision. I think a lot of people have khabib decision. I don’t, I think someone gets finished. I don’t know he’s too happy. I think he won’t play it safe. He’S either gon na go for the win or he’s gon na go for the loss. I think he plays it risky he’s not gon na sit back and let it go to the judges in my opinion, and he always turns it up. He’S kind of like that des style, where he turns it up three four or five: oh yeah, remember: listen, Roni fight, like Cerrone kind of had the technical advantage in round one all of a sudden Ferguson just turns it up blows his eye open round. Two looks like pop, but I don’t know what was going on with his eye. It was crazy yeah, it was uh hard cowboy fan. So I I didn’t like that. I didn’t he’s my favorite fighter. I didn’t like I didn’t like that fight at all, but it was impressive. I just didn’t, like my boy losing yeah your basketball code, Trey yeah, so well, Condon retire. That should say so. I coached you basketball for seven years and then I coach high school basketball for two years, and so I’m getting married this year and until you’re planning a wedding and just life in general. I thought it was a good time to step down. I have taken a group of kids from their sophomore year in high school up until their senior year and so they’re graduating this year. So I was like, instead of starting with a new group of kids, it’s kind of the perfect year to kinda. Take some time off, get back to normality and work on some house projects. Yes, you plan on doing that, like jumping back in there next year. It’S for a question I think there’s a part of me that wants to so I’m gon na go on a rant for a second, the team that I coached in high school. So I resigned last year. So all of the kids. Let me have like eight kids that were seniors this year and I’m like best friends with the guy who’s, a varsity coach. It was me and him who ran varsity team well, this year they played in the section championship to go to state tournament, and so they not only made to the state tournament two times in the entirety of the program. So they go. They went on a buzzer beater to one of my two points to go to the state tournament, but the crazy part was: is they restricted the audience where each team could only have 50 tickets? So they could only have 100 people in attendance, so he hits this buzzer beater and we’ve run out on the court storm the court, even with only 50 people, it’s ridiculous, but up until that moment you can ask me like hey: are you gon na go back And I’m like probably not to have a kid, but after that moment I was like damn. I missed this, like that’s the things that you do it for, but I don’t know the Phantoms. Who knows who knows a basketball team. We gon na begin again yeah yeah, who knows I’m uh, I’m a swim, swim instructor, yes, but yeah. I I missed that. I miss being able to see the progression. You know I’ve taught kids from time. They were four until they were 16 and you see like I’m 24. So when I started I was like 15 and I still taught up until this year. So, like you know, when you see kid grow for nine years, I’ve been teaching the same kids. It’S definitely rewarding when you know you see how much they’ve grown and how much they, how much better they’ve gotten and I’m sure, as a basketball coach, you probably get to meet them more on a personal level than I do as a swim instructor. So you know yeah coaches, definitely inspire kids to do great things. So um, you know. If you do go back, did you go back man i rootin for you and yep? I appreciate it not to break like the fourth wall, how much time we got as long as we want. I got a couple questions, so I’ve seen other people do matchmaking right, never paid it any attention. I randomly stumbled upon a horse on Twitter and I was like dude this guy’s doing not just main card fight like fight mass, wrecking he’s doing from top to bottom yeah. How does it work like? How do you keep all of these options and because it’s like sometimes don’t get me wrong, like you’re like that, may be a stretch but like they’re all, I think really like. Realistically, no matter who I match up, there’s always gon na, be someone yeah really cowboy versus this person, or you know Nico Price like what you know. It doesn’t really matter what you know and a lot. I have an Excel spreadsheet that I made a couple two years ago that has a list of every fighter. That’S ever fought in the UFC their record, who they fought against whether they’re active, whether or not it’s 25 tabs. It’S got so I’ll plug in like burns and it’ll have has a list of all his recent results, and I have list of all the welterweights where they train everything, so that’s kind of how I based it off of so I’ll. Like so, let’s say we have Maz beetle versus Diaz. So when that fight happened, I plugged in Diaz saw his last fights, you know: what’s he doing, he lost his last two or whatever it is, and then I go to the welterweight tab and in there I look up the rankings and as well as their records, Who they fought and more or less I just match up whether or not I think I’ve like narrowed down to two or three and I match up whoever I think matches up best stylistically a lot of times. You know like, for example, I had a Yoel Romero versus Omari. I met off after the last fight everyone’s like. Why, like, oh, my L is a beast he’s, you know, he’s only lost two killers. I just thought you know you’re on a loose three fight losing streak. I’D rather see him drop down a little bit pick up a win before bumping him back up, but it that’s kind of how I how I do it and I do it with every fighter. Every fighter, like you, said from prelims to main card, I’m also building one now for Bellator as well. The only issue I have with the Bellator is they sign people just for one one card. So it’s a lot. It’S a lot harder than the UFC, but yeah. It’S I don’t know it’s it’s passion that you have to have for it and I don’t like. I don’t get paid to do it. I just I don’t know any anytime, someone likes it it just like it’s like you know what someone saw it and someone someone appreciated my match matchmaking, so it motivates me to keep doing it and if you like it, you’ll do it, but but no I appreciate That you saw it and I’m glad you add you stay tuned to them. It’S impressive, like the amount of info, it’s kind of funny, because I was at school for business management accounting. I never took my CPA. Like I, I watched the movie, the accountant I was like thanks Ben Affleck. You taught me, I do not want to be an accountant, but I totally get like the spreadsheet plan. It all out, like I’ve, been trying to do fight picks for probably about like half a year now and it’s it’s kind of the same process. Again, you can just randomly pick it. You could go off the favorite it’s better than uh, but the amount of thought that I put into it like the fight cards, watching them from the beginning to end every week like it definitely comes down to a passion. I think the fiancee gets a little sick of it on Saturdays, but my girlfriend does the same thing I’ll be like I’m watching UFC tonight. I don’t want you to look at me. I don’t want you to sneeze. I don’t want you to breathe like just stay. There, don’t put your feet anywhere near me, so yeah Saturday nights tend to be my night and I also don’t like to watch them with people which i think is something fans. A lot of fans like going to bars and watching them. I like watching fights at home by myself, and that way I can. You know I just rewatched the Thiago Santos John Jones fight. I wanted to watch it because I’m diehard Jones fan I wanted to watch it from a neutral perspective and try to the best. I can. You know see how people had had scored it for Thiago, because all the times you’re watching it and you’re like shaking, if like, if Cowboys fighting, I’m like that. So I wanted to see like I often weary watch them just to see. If I uh. If I agree with my original assessment of the fight and oftentimes, my initial assessment is awful uh-huh, especially if I like the fighter yeah, I do. I that’s usually how I watch them. When I replay it, I watched I just watched the Jones Tiago one on mute. That’S how I chose to because I oftentimes, like I’m listening to Joe Rogan right and you know the entire time Joe Rogan was talking about his busted knee right. So, as you know, if you’re listening, you don’t really understand the sport or you’re, not picking up on what Jones is doing or what Tiago is doing. You’Re, like oh well, Joe Rogan’s, telling me he has a hurt knee therefore Jones has to be winning, which isn’t necessarily the case, so yeah oftentimes yeah, I like for me watching them without commentary. If I’m watching it as a fan, I like I, like I love Joe Rogan, so I like hearing it and I like hearing them hearing them talk and I’m by no means an MMA expert, so hearing their assessment or what they see or you know, Dominick Cruz Is saying you know what this is, what he’s got to do? This is how he gets out of this position. I like hearing that when I’m watching it as a fan, but if I’m trying to score it, I don’t I muted and try to try to watch it my way either way I I’m still always off like. I really wanted a brother and he had different opinion than I did so like you know it never court. I had 3 to Jones media. I had 3 to Jones as well, yeah. Okay, here’s a good question, not that either one of us are qualified judges. You wan na vs. Whaley, I had 3 to Yoanna. I think I think I had three to Yoanna, but I think it was like. I had two comfortable ones for you, wan na to comfortable ones for Whaley and the third one I was like. You know what doesn’t really matter, but I think I scored it. I had it scored you wan na buy a hair but yeah. That’S how I scored it. How do I think? I think it was definitely as close to a draw as I’ve ever seen long time. I didn’t want to be a judge that was the moment. Yeah yeah, the other time GSP Hendrix. Do you uh? Do you remember that fight? Did you watch it? How did you score it see like I had it 3-2 Hendrix when I watched it it’s but right. It’S a first, I was like damn. Gsp lost that fight, but I’ve gone back and I watch this fight. I don’t know how many times, and I will tell you every day you asked me and if I watched it since then I might give you a different answer. Yeah, I scored the fight like if you’re scoring the fight as a whole Hendricks long, but if you’re scoring it by round, I could see GSP, wouldn’t you like it so like. I don’t think it was as big as a robbery as everyone made it out to be that night, but that’s the only time where I’ve ever looked back and been like man. I don’t even know well yeah, I every time I watch it like he said he goes back and forth yeah, but that was a interesting, but I don’t yeah I could have won. I don’t know. I have no idea their fights like that where you finished watching it you’re like I don’t I don’t know, Andreas Jones was one of them. That was the only time that I remember watching Jones fight that I’ve been scared like I I don’t. I didn’t watch the Jones Gus fight the first one so yeah, but when I, when Reyes and Jones finished, I was scared as a Jones fan, I was nervous hmmm, alright, so here’s another big topic in MMA open scoring. We think would you like it? I don’t like it, I I think I’m one of the few people that don’t I know I don’t like it in boxing either right yeah. I don’t because I like I disagree, often with what the card is and I find oftentimes one judge will make you know with if the judges post, something up it like changes, your perspective of perspective of the fight I like I like watching it and then giving My pit, like you, know, feeling how I feel about it and then, if the judges are different, I can bicker and I can complain, but I also like bickering and complaining. So that might be why that might be. Why I’m assuming you like it? It people always say like well what, if you’re they’re up to zero and then they just coast to a victory right, and I think the UFC has proven as much as it may piss some people off, if you guy that, doesn’t want to talk, [, _, ] And you want to win by decision. Sorry Leon Edwards but like it is the longest road to a title, shot that you could possibly ask for in the UFC. And it’s like probably the sole reason that, like Rory MacDonald left right, like you, can go, make money in other organizations doing that, but in the UFC I think that it would take care of itself yeah. So I think it we don’t have promote, finishes and how many guys got cut after a loss after a Wednesday like Elias, Theodore, ooh, Jake Shields, you know those Jon Fitch, those guys aren’t the most entertaining. There are excellent fighters, but you know I don’t know I. I just I like it as a you know. I like fighters going out there and fighting their fight. You know if it’s boring, it’s boring. If it’s not it’s not. I don’t mind the boring fights. I you know: if that’s just how the fight ends up going, then you know it sucks, but I don’t like guys fighting different ways to try to prove anything. I’M not a fan of that. They don’t do something people don’t talk about. I was like you ruined kind of the anticipation of the scorecard, so if you already know it going into the third round or the fifth round like what keeps you in front of the TV kind of, I guess from like a viewership standpoint, that’s interesting! It’S a really interesting perspective, yeah. I know Joe’s a big like Jill Rosen’s, a big advocate for it. I I don’t like it in boxing right. Like I watch a little bit of boxing, I don’t like it. I don’t like seeing it. I don’t like knowing the scores, so that’s probably why yeah speaking of boxing, how do you feel about Furion wilder, you watch it yeah, I will say I did bet for fury to win and like this is nothing against wilder. I just thought this size advantage with how much weight the fury had put on was gon na, give him more durability. I guess, and you have how it harder power punch. I thought it was great Mike. The problem is like the first one was really iffy. The way that they scored it, however, you want to say believe that when I thought hearing one that one too, I thought fury won’t run the one the rounds I thought yeah, I know Wilder won the fight. You know like cuz, you knock someone down and they’re down for 10 seconds and you never got knocked down if it’s a fight while the wins. But if it’s a boxing match, I thought fury won yeah. It does create a logjam, though, because everyone wants to see Anthony Joshua in the mix now too. So it’s like. What’S the next fight that you make and then, while there has kind of the rematch clause and there’s just so many weird pieces in boxing that I think people forget about from like a promotional standpoint, it’s interesting yeah. I don’t like the you know, there’s five different belts, I, but I guess in a way anime has that right, Bellator W UFC one. So I guess in a way they have the same thing, but I’m a fan of the best should fight the best, and especially in boxing you know, Floyd and Manny’s, a great example of that it happened. What seven years late last thing I want to see is Anthony Joshua, fighting Tyson Fury ten years from now like now is the time to do it. That being said, I like seeing guys stay undefeated, so I was a huge I wanted Deontay Wilder to retire undefeated. I wanted him to be like 55 and oh, but now that he lost fury is the only one of the big three that hasn’t lost. So I think interesting perspective to that people forget about is like when you think about Mike Tyson right. Everyone’S like Mike Tyson, is the fastest dude around right, fattest heavyweight. Everyone talks about like how great his career was. What what people don’t talk about is like how he ended his career right like he was in the situation where he was iconic for so long that that’s all that people remember, but people don’t remember that he lost three of his last four right. They don’t remember that he was losing to people named Kevin McBride, like nobody remembers that, so I think it is one thing to be undefeated and I think that that’s something that would have been awesome for a while there, but I don’t think people are gon na. Remember this, I think losing the face of fury like it is what it is. I think when you’re that great it’s like Tyson, Holyfield, Tyson Lewis, you know, I think it’s just a great find everyone to see at the time yeah. The best I mean Ali was all he lost. Fights do right like yes, losing isn’t the end of the world, but you know Floyd, it’s always gon na. Have that oh there and you know, I think, when you make the case for goat having a zero, is a huge helps, a lot guys like khabib and I guess Jones doesn’t have it but but yeah. You know I mean he had but Jones elbow a few times until the doctor, but yeah like I think, if you have an O next to your name, it helps when it comes to the goat conversation. I don’t think it takes away from your legacy. As being you know, bad or badass or a good fighter, but it definitely does when you throw the word goat around. You know, I think that’s something Jones is always gon na have over guys like Anderson, GSP and Demetrius. You know not. Hughes, beat GSP DC, beat Anderson and Henry cejudo beat DJ no one’s beaten Jones, and I think that same sort of thing applies to boxing. I think when they retire, fury is gon na go down as the better fighter, simply because he has at zero. That’S why? I like seeing that zero stays there. You know it just helps with the you know. The goat conversation. Do you watch, do you watch any other sports or just combat? If there’s anything that I could confidently talk about, it probably be MMA and basketball. Granted, like I watched football basketball baseball like I drew up in Boston Massachusetts so, like I got super blessed good Celtics yeah that foxy right in there yeah. I watched every major championship so far in my life and I’m only 31. So, like that’s pretty impressive, but it’s like shitty as this sounds. I think that, having kind of that luxury of constantly being good, has it made me such an adamant fan over the years. I feel like I’ve almost like, come more towards MMA, because I’m like more invested, if that mixed in it’s, like I hate to say it like a Patriots game in the past week in September, I really don’t care about it like out here, win or lose. Doesn’T matter like, let’s talk in December and like this kind of a shitty mentality from a fan standpoint yeah like this, is where I’m at yeah, I’m in Halifax Nova, Scotia, Canada, so the only professional team like high-level team we have here is lacrosse note it’s the Best lacrosse team in North America, but you know yeah. How are you gon na hold a conversation about lacrosse and I don’t have any interest in the cross either, which does no but yeah. I have soccer being Spanish. Shockers. Definitely uh my family’s born in Spain. So diehard Barcelona fans soccer born in Spain and you live in Canada, yeah yeah. I was born in Canada. My parents moved from Spain. They migrated over and then ironically, they’re actually living in Switzerland, and I’m here so yeah yeah. My little brother plays on a team of soccer team in Switzerland. So that’s why they’re over there, but yeah soccer hockey and MMA, that’s about the I can hold. They can hold conversation in any of those three anything else like I watch football. Sometimes I watch baseball. Rarely basketball is not my my cup of tea, you know, I, I respect, respect them and I watched Toronto last year because the only Canadian team – so I randomly got interested in that for about seven games and then it was great seven games. Yeah yeah, we went yeah, the entire. The entire city went crazy. I wish it was in Toronto for that actually, but yeah yeah it it’s just weird, because it’s almost as if a national team won something because there’s no other team right like there’s. No so Vancouver was celebrating, Halifax was celebrating like it was. It was as if, like you know, they won like the World Cup or something big, because there is no other Canadian basketball team at that level. So yeah and everywhere was going nuts, which I think is you know you don’t see that anywhere else in any other sport so being from Canada. Ariel Helwani super proud of it, and so he was talking about how proud he was that Canada stepped down as the first team from the Olympics. What’S your opinion on that? It’S cool that they did it, but I don’t really that doesn’t really matter to me. I think I’m under the impression, like I personally think like as if you were an athlete and you want to attend and this staff that’s their all – wants to host the event. Let it happen, you know what the consequences are. You know what you’re getting into you know. There’S a lot invested in the Olympics. There’S you know, you’ve got sponsors, you’ve got venues, you’ve got all those things already scheduled in. You know it’s, it’s not something like a UFC event where you know there’s what twelve fighters you’ve got thousands of athletes who have been training for it for years. You can’t just pick it up and move it, which is what they did. It’S just. You know how many, how many athletes are prepared for this year. You know like this, you can’t you know you can’t just stop training and then get back into it again. It’S a lot of them have are 3435, and this may be the last run and one more year may you know there could be an injury and they couldn’t. They may not be able to compete next year. It’S a lots invested and I think it should be up to the athlete and the staff. I think no one should be forced to work it and no one should be forced to compete, but if they want to, they should – and that being said, Canada is very liberal and I’m not necessarily the most liberal person. I do have some liberal beliefs, beliefs, but I do think you know I got a value people’s time and the effort they put in and not just because you know a few people think that we need to protect everybody that you know. I don’t know it’s it’s. It’S it’s such a it’s it’s a touchy subject, and you know it doesn’t really matter what I say it. It got pushed it got pushed and so for that today it’s it started with MMA, but I like honestly wherever it goes, doesn’t really matter to me like we can be talking about tiger King. We could be talking about any sport we could be talking about. Doesn’T matter to me, I really have no it’s very joe rogan like where we could be talking about weed one. Second, and you know MMA. The next does not matter does not matter what uh all right. So here’s a good question, so I got two bodies both in the UFC. You probably may know who they are. I want to see what you got if you could make two matchups for each person. Let’S see your spreadsheet skills, I’m gon na have to give me a minute to pull out the spreadsheet, though yeah Maurice Greene yeah back-to-back losses. He was just at just in the top fifteen. He lost you Olynyk right, Aleksey, Olynyk, yeah. Second round submission. We went to that card so speaking of Donald Cerrone favorite fighter by the way, so by far my favorite fighter and don’t get me wrong like him. Bruce Conner dream matchup, but let me go to Vegas, I’m hoping for the greatest fight I’ve ever seen. Not only do you watch your buddy lose after. He survives two rounds on the ground with some of the best jujitsu heavyweights in the world, but then you watch your favorite fighter get demolished by Conor McGregor yeah. I had a ida friend. He called me right before the fight and he goes I love cowboy, should I bet on him. I was like no don’t I I had predicted that it was going to be the second a second round finish for Conor, but I died. I i i expected that was gon na happen. I just thought it was gon na be a little bit longer. Yes, Maurice is terrible at a phone, so it’ll be on the episode soon and I was like dude on Twitter he’s like I will look at Instagram bro, it’s all good, so uh yeah. So we got there’s a few options here. He is eight and four he’s. Three and two in the UFC and he’s coming up back-to-back losses been so slowly, seven and three coming off one loss, but he had a no contest before that. That fight makes sense alright, so I like that fight and been solely, will entertain the standup, which i think is gon na, be more exciting than fighting a guy like Olynyk, it’s gon na be almost switched, and that might be one that green actually may even want To take it to the ground, because a guy like Ben so solely is very Mark Hunt like where, let’s avoid the ground, so that’s that’s a potential matchup for him, both friends together. I know they said hey. If it comes down to it money’s money yeah, I think I think it you know, I think, a lot of the Ultimate Fighter guys are aware that, especially in the division like that, you know, a heavyweight division is not there’s not a whole lot of options. Guys. Look like welterweight there’s a hundred people in the welterweight sufficient, so you can kind of pick and choose and heavyweight you just kind of have to take whoever whatever comes your way, but that fight that fight does make sense. I like that fight. I would have also liked to see potentially Chris de la Roca – I don’t know if he’s still technically signed. I know he fought one autumns a little while ago and but Adams Adams would have been fun, but he got he just got cut, but de la Roca. If he’s still under contract, I haven’t really looked at it. That fight would make sense as well, and I think it’s good bounce-back, I mean you know you he’s lost two in a row if I was matchmaker and especially as a friend if I was a friend, I would want him to try to get a win to Get back in there because last thing you want is to be, you know, have a three fights kid, especially in the USA. I was thinking a tiara he’s got a fight. He’S got a fight booked. I was looking at on Tweety hasta right yeah. We also have. I would say: maybe Daniel Spitz – I don’t know, if he’s still in the UFC either like that’s one of those guys, that’s been around and I don’t know if he’s still around, but I think that or like a Tanner bozer, even though he was supposed to fight Serum game yeah yeah, he got well he’s he got matched up with Jeff Hughes and that just got postponed. So I feel like they’re just gon na rebook it and that’s. Another thing I have to look at too is: is the guy in a fight I mean? Does he have a free book? You know that I’ve made mistakes from like hey. Let’S, let’s match these two guys up and one of them will be like I’m already fighting like tomorrow, like what are you doing or or they’ll say, like we’re training partners, I’ve done that yeah! That’S the hardest one yeah, because a lot of like you got ta. Look up like what camp are they at and sometimes you know you look on topology and it’s not accurate, like they used to train somewhere now, they’re training, somewhere else and there’s massive gyms right, like everybody’s at like 18 ATT everybody’s, so you know not being able To not match guys up and they they get att’s is difficult, and I also like to match up if you notice for my international cards, if I’m doing, if, if it’s a guy who’s from Australia, I like to match him up with an American. I like doing it yeah but yeah, and who is he? Who is the other? The other fighter he’s got a fight booked right yeah. I thought you know he lost a split to Demian Maia, you know so I he lost the split then bounced back with a win over a Russian. I forget his name, so I thought you know Italy. I thought he was gon na get bigger name. You know you, you go to a split decision with Demian Maia and then bounced back with a win. I think you deserve a guy, if not in the top 15 right there on the cusp right, like imagine him versus Nikko that would have been fun, fight, fun, fight him versus Vicente Luque would have been fun him versus Randy brown. You know those guys right there on the cusp of the top 15 and I like David, a lot, I think, he’s a great fighter, but I just don’t think I think he deserved a bigger name personally but but yeah. If I was gon na, do it Nico price because Nico price is begging to fight anybody or you could give him someone, who’s got a bigger name, but may not, you know, may not be on the cost of the top 15, like guy, like Diego Lima, Diego Sanchez or so he can knock off Diego Sanchez, get that name on his record Matt Matt Brown. That would be fun, Henderson, Matt Brown, but yeah. I think he deserves either a big name or a guy. On the cusp of the top 15. I was surprised when they matched him up against owada. I mean you put me on the spot. I would have done way more. Research, if I was posted ya, know that those would be yeah. That would be mine. I was surprised with the Nevada booking, but I don’t. I don’t know why that was the one that was offered, but it’s gon na we’re, especially this is last last fight on this deal too. So I don’t know if they’re trying to give him a chance to win, give him another fight or what, but I would love the Nico price fight. I think that would have been fireworks from the beginning, dad yeah. No, I think any fight with Nico Nico, fighting anybody’s fireworks. James Vic fight was crazy. The Randy brown fight was ridiculous. I’M talking Gilbert burns Nico price. I don’t know if Nico deserves that, but like that would be a fight that I would pay to see. I don’t care quarantine, no quarantine, only fight on the card. Okay, that is imagine Nico, price Matt Brown. I’D be great. I like that’s the one I was like, neither one of them all right now. Matt Brown was supposed to fight Miguel beza, but that got I don’t know if that’s getting cancelled or pushed, and I also don’t really know who Miguel beza is. So I would have liked to see a fight Nico. I think that would have been. I think that would have in fireworks partially happen. Matt Brown escaped that submission against Ben Saunders. That was so deep and he survived that and then TKO the next round. Yeah Matt Brown is one of those guys that I don’t know why, but I always root for. I he’s been around forever and he puts on the show yeah like even like, even other guys have been around forever. I don’t necessarily root for, but for some reason, the guys like him in court McGee another one. I’M always rooting for court. Mcgee never talked to him, don’t even I know his backstory, but I’ve always found myself rooting for him, not exactly sure why, but I like I like him, I like his story. I like liked him on the Ultimate Fighter. So yeah, it’s like me with a Cheeto Vera, never like I knew who he was and then so my buddy Maurice fights on the Ultimate Fighter. Finale and Chino happens to be there and just in attendance, so he like looks at the palm. So it’s this really tiny arena, so we come out afterwards and there’s like a bar right there, so you’re like running into all these fighters. It’S such a small area, well he’s at the bar with like this, like bright fanny pack on and I’m glad I’m a huge fan and he was just like he’s like you want a shot. So then, all of a sudden II started slamming shots of tequila, and I was like dude you’re, knocking guys out you’re wearing a fanny pack, we’re slamming shots of tequila. We just became best friends yeah, it’s it’s funny. How, like I met Anthony Smith right before his fight against well canoes Amir? I was out drinking before the fight in Moncton. It’S the second card I had ever been to I’d, been to one Halifax and I was out drinking and I’m walking to the event and Anthony Smith, like just pops out of a pizza shop and like what the hell yeah how’s it going. But he was getting swarmed, so I talked to him briefly. Everyone else was asking for pictures and I could tell he was getting overwhelmed. He didn’t want to say like get out of my face, but it was also before the fight like it was like two hours before. I’M sure he wanted to go like warm up and stuff. So I was like man, huge fans shook his hand and then walked to the event, and I was rooting for who’s mayor before I met him and then I found myself ready for Anthony Smith. Don’T inform don’t even care. I want Anthony Smith to win anyone but yeah, it’s funny how, when you meet a fighter, it automatically start rooting for them like the guys on the podcast they’re, my favorite fighters now like if anytime laundry, you will fights I’m rooting for I’m rooting for him yeah. It’S it’s funny how that works, but yeah, but I do like cheeto Vera. What I like about him is that he fights anybody doesn’t matter if you’re ranked doesn’t matter where you’re at in the rankings doesn’t care. Your style he’s always signing the dotted line.
